Declutter Your Mind, Declutter Your Life - 10 Essential Tips and Tricks
Clutter is everywhere around us. It takes over our kitchens, closets, work desks and minds.
We gather material things and call them memories. We buy new clothes on impulse, yet we still have nothing to wear. We’re always on the hunt for the next best product that promises to make our life easier.
In the era of social media, thousands of news outlets find their way to us every day. Information overload can affect not only our productivity, but also mental health.
Keep reading to discover 10 essential tips and tricks to declutter not only your living space, but also your entire life.
1. Closet
The closet is among the first places in the home to get overstuffed. If you’re a shopaholic, it serves as a hoarding ground for your prized possessions. Hoarding on a sentimental basis also contributes to the clutter.
Luckily, the closet is the easiest to declutter. Get three big boxes and separate them into three categories: keep, donate and throw away. Then, take out the entire contents of your closet and drawers and start sorting through.
To help you decide what to keep and what to get rid of, ask yourself the following:
- Have I worn this in the past 6 months?
- If I saw this today, would I buy it?
- Does it fit me well?
- Can I combine it easily with other items in my wardrobe?
- Am I holding on to it for sentimental reasons?
The best way to always be well-dressed is to put together a capsule wardrobe. Buy classic, tailored pieces that fit you perfectly. They should be of high quality so you can wear them longer.
Wearing classics doesn’t have to be boring if that’s what you’re afraid of. You can always add colors, accessories and playful prints to spruce things up.
Many people aren’t really good at combining their clothes. So they buy things that don’t match anything in their closet because they looked good on the rack.
Shopping mindfully can help you control impulse buying. You can even try a challenge – don’t buy anything new for an entire month. You’ll see you can still look great with the clothes you already have.
Go to Pinterest for wardrobe inspiration. You’ll learn a lot about color combinations, dressing for your body type and creating a practical wardrobe.
2. Desk
You use your desk every day, so it’s bound to have piles of stuff all over it.
If you’re less productive because of the mess, it may be time to declutter your workspace.
Get a garbage bag and throw away old post-its, broken pens and pencils, half- used notebooks, and empty markers. Next, rummage through your drawers. You’ll surely find some stuff you forgot about and don’t need anymore.
When you’re done, think of storage solutions to organize the space better. The desktop should only have a few items on it – the computer, a photo of your loved ones, and your favorite coffee.
Put documents, files, stationery and sticky notes in a designated drawer.
3. Schedule
One of the hardest things to declutter is your schedule. You don’t want to miss out on anything, but if you drown yourself in too many activities, you’ll just end up exhausted.
Cut down on commitments and only chose the ones you really want to attend.
Pick a few social and cultural activities per week and use the rest of your free time to actually relax and spend time with yourself.
For people who can’t say no to others, this section can be a little difficult to achieve. When you make time for the things you love doing, your life will become calmer and less chaotic.
Learning to politely decline invitations for the sake of your own well-being is a skill.
You should also learn to say no to yourself, because most of the time, you’re cluttering your own schedule. Spend some time alone, away from everything, and start enjoying your own company.
We promise you’ll have a blast.
4. Computer and Phone
Is your desktop overcrowded with icons, notes, files and everything in between? Perhaps you don’t even know what’s hiding in the depths of your folders.
When you delete the unnecessary, you’ll free up so much space for new things.
Your computer will perform better when there isn’t a desktop full of random documents and photos to slow it down.
The same goes for your phone. Delete old messages, photos and apps you don’t need.
5. Kitchen
The kitchen is among the most cluttered rooms in a home. You buy something, use it a couple of times and then forget about it in the corners of your cupboards. When you suddenly find it, it’s already expired.
The same goes for the fridge. You keep filling it, forgetting to eat what’s already there.
Set aside a few hours in an afternoon to organize the kitchen. Throw away all expired food and donate any utensils, pans and items you don’t use. Clean the drawers and storage hotspots. These two places are where the clutter starts happening.
6. Diet
To declutter your diet, eliminate all unhealthy foods in your home. Make a diet plan with clean, healthy and organic ingredients.
Listen to your body and see which foods make you feel bad or bloated. Avoid alcohol and sugar-loaded sodas.
Keep the chocolate. It goes great with your morning coffee.
7. Social Life
When you decluttering your physical space, you’ll see how liberating it is. Apply the same technique to the mess in your personal life.
We all have that friend or co-worker who just sucks your energy dry. They complain constantly and only talk about their own problems.
You politely nod your head in agreement and when you finally see a chance to reply, they start talking again. And it’s exhausting.
To declutter your social life, think about who your true friends are. Deepen the relationships with them and let go of all the rest.
At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how many true and loyal friends you have. Random acquaintances and “friends” who only care for themselves shouldn’t be in your life.
8. Mind
You can clean the entire house or organize your pantry in a day. But the most challenging part of your decluttering journey is clearing your mind.
Years of memories, subconscious behavior patterns and an array of thoughts are stacked in there. It’s like a junk drawer that keeps filling. If you don’t purge it from time to time, it’s bound to overflow.
The ‘brain dump’ is an effective decluttering method for a busy mind. It helps you put all your thoughts and ideas on paper to see which ones you need to keep. Journaling can serve a similar purpose.
A more spiritual way to empty your mind is through meditation. This ancient practice has the power to shift your entire mindset and make you calmer and more aware.
Avoiding negative and drama-driven people is another step in the right direction. If you are one such person, work on finding the underlying cause for your issues.
Unprocessed negative emotions only attract anger, sadness and frustrations. As you break through to the more positive side of life, you’ll feel as if a stone has been lifted off your chest.
Life will be simple, beautiful and un-cluttered again.
9. Work life
Finding a work-life balance is not easy, especially if you’re always buried in tasks. Hard work is praiseworthy, but maybe you’re doing too much of it.
Not taking the time to rest can clutter your brain and prevent you from seeing the big picture.
Is your career going the way you planned? Are you appreciated at work by your boss or employees? Do you find joy in other things, unrelated to work?
Finally, is your job making you excited to get out of bed every day? Or is it draining and soul-sucking?
If you feel stuck in your career, it might be time to re-evaluate and declutter your work life.
10. Health & Wellness
When you make a resolution to live healthier, you’ll come across so many experts. You’ll start following one, then find another, and yet another until you’re confused and clueless.
Start by listening to the only expert on your body: yourself. See what makes you feel good. Maybe you hate exercising but would gladly do two hours of yoga. Or maybe you can’t tolerate green smoothies, but are happy to eat salads for days.
Check in with yourself and observe how your body reacts to your current lifestyle. Find a couple of inspirational health and wellness experts to follow and stick with them. Get rid of everything that doesn’t make you feel energetic and vibrant, including advice.
Decluttering as a Way of Mental and Physical Cleansing
Decluttering is more than cleaning your closet and getting rid of the junk in your drawers.
It’s a dedication to a simpler existence, free of excessive material possessions. At the same time, it’s a decision to part ways with negative people and circumstances.
Liked this article? There’s more where that came from. Head over to our blog to learn how to clear your mind and start fresh every morning.
Frosina A. Ivanovic is a content marketing specialist and writer. She’s passionate about quality coffee, travel, wellness, and digital marketing. You can connect with Frosina on LinkedIn or her website, Zhillmatic.